


Dear President Woodrow Wilson

by procrastinatingbookworm



Category: Original Work
Genre: World War I
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 11:55:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10741221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/procrastinatingbookworm/pseuds/procrastinatingbookworm
Summary: A school assignment, a letter to President Woodrow Wilson advising against entry into World War One.





	Dear President Woodrow Wilson

Dear Mr. President,

In regards to our neutrality, Mr. President, I urge you, sir, to not take any larger part in this Great War than you have already committed yourself to. For my first point, I must state that we have no obligation, and indeed, no logical reason, to sacrifice the lives and livelihoods of our citizens in order to fight this war that I am certain will have no favorable conclusion. We have already involved ourselves too deeply in this conflict. Similarly, I believe that the accusations of cowardice against the Senate have taken a part in forcing your hand. Furthermore, the suddenness of this lunge toward war proves how ill-minded this decision is. Above all, remember: wars are never won. Their outcomes are decided by whoever comes to his senses first, and chooses, through an inevitable blow to his pride, to cease the loss of life.

In regards to my first point, look no further than the speech delivered by Senator George Norris on the fourth of April before the Senate, in regards to the building “necessity” for war. His words informed us of the hypocrisy of this stance in this Great War, opposing Germany and pursuing an alliance with Great Britain, although they both engaged in the actions we protest against. The illegal placement of warzones, the favoring of militarism over the law, and the casualty-thick blockades and runners of such are offenses committed by both sides. Continuing, he laid out for the Senate the obvious bias we have shown throughout this war, towards Britain and her allies, against Germany and her allies, and specifically against the U-boats that differ from their British equivalent only in name and maker. Thusly, we have no obligation to fight, except to ourselves, our misguided nationalism, and our constructed ideals of right and wrong.

To support my second point, I reference the speech given by Robert M. LaFollette, and his delivery to the Senate, named by the publishers “Free Speech in Wartime,” quite fittingly. He insisted that the Senate acknowledge how the words of the public, crying that we abandon our isolation, charge forward and fight this war that we have not enough reasonable bias to fight, have influenced the decisions of those with true power. Only by recognizing this, and choosing logical and factual opinions over the reversed propaganda that is driving us to an unreasonable war. I say again, we are not obligated in any way to fight. This war has defiled our oceans, let it not reach our shores as well! The shouts of those who do not know how war ravages the minds and lives of all it touches force us toward a conflict with no conclusion but further horror than has already driven us to this point. There is nothing we can do to end this, only feed the fire further, and it will burn us the moment we come any closer. They call for war, and if war we have, no armistice that we reach can be soon enough. Destruction only comes from war. The only war we or any have ever won was our revolution, and a revolution this is not and will never be!

I conclude, Mr. President, with this: at the center of war is imperialism, the clawing reach for more and more. No more do we need, sir, and even if we did, it could not be gained through violence. Let the dead bury the dead, sir, and let war be waged where it cannot hurt us further.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: the second half of this was written while I was listening to Hamilton. It shows, I know.


End file.
